"The farthest star in the sky burns the brightest."
I'll always remember the first day I met you. You came into my life so unexpectedly and instantly left me in a sea of bumbling thoughts and stuttering words. We were introduced so casually yet it took all my courage and brainpower just to form words in my mouth. "Say something Andre! Goddamn
it just say SOMETHING!" These were the only words swimming in my head as I desperately tried not to make myself look like a total fool in front of you. We only spoke for a few minutes that day but that was all it took. Your eyes, your smile, your charm... they were so damned magnetic I was convinced that no matter the circumstance you and I would grow old together.
I'll always remember how you mercilessly invaded my thoughts. I would sit back and allow my fantasies of you; the adventurous, the sexual, the endless romance, to run wild with no limitations. Images of you would accompany me in bed at night and be there to greet me as I woke up in the morning, along with the same questions I repeatedly asked myself every time you popped in my head. "Who exactly is this woman? How has she taken me over like this? Why her?
What is it about her?" I never knew these kinds of feelings could exist in something like me, but I knew you and I would meet again in the future and I eagerly anticipated that encounter because it was then that you were to going to know exactly how I felt about you.
I'll always remember that one chance I had to make my way into your world and share with you the darkest secrets of my own world. It's probably what I remember most when I think about you today. I approached that night with great hope and excitement knowing that I would not only get to see you again but knowing that this may very well be the start of an intense and glorious relationship between us, the type of relationship that would shake the foundations of life itself. Little did I realize that it would become the night of one of the biggest regrets in my life. I often ask myself why I chose to
keep my words to myself at the last minute. Looking back I guess there were a number of meager reasons but they can all be narrowed down to one thing. Despite all the feelings I had for you, I knew I would never be able to give you all the things I wanted to give you. The romantic connection, the
adventurous experiences, even the mind blowing sex I saw us having... I knew there would be someone out there that could give you the life you deserved and at the expense of my own fantasies, I was willing to make sure you had that opportunity.
They say the farthest star in the sky burns the brightest and in regards to you, I truly understand what it means now. You'll always be the representation of my wildest dreams and fantasies that will forever be impossibly out-of-reach. And despite everything I wish I could tell you, if there is one message that I must relay to you more than anything else it would be “thank you”. Thank you for being that huge beacon of light in a time when darkness was the only thing I knew, for being everything I never knew I wanted, and for giving me something new to strive for. You may have only been a passing face but you’ve undoubtedly made one of the most lasting impressions out of anybody I’ve met. By now you've moved on and in the years we’ve spent apart I’m sure you’ve forgotten all about me, but I'll remember you. I'll always remember you.
"645"
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Me vs. Marriage
“…and the prince came to rescue the girl and they lived happily ever after.”
Ah the fairy tale. Those lovable stories we all read as children about being rescued and living life happily ever after. Fairy tales, the main source of fantasy that makes us want to find that perfect someone (more on that in another article) and live out the rest of our days in eternal bliss running
in beaches in slow motion holding each others’ hands and all that other crap. So we set out and hope to find that one person to someday call husband or wife. Now let’s ask this question, can you remember the time when marriage was about basking in the love two people shared with one another? I can’t either, because nowadays the whole institution of marriage has nothing more than a joke. Between those who treat it as such and those who have their own hidden agenda as to why they get married in the first place, the notion of having to be married to someone has become a bit foolish in my eyes. Lives have been crippled by messy divorces and victims of spousal infidelity and loveless prison-like homes have driven people to do unspeakable things. So why is there such a need for people to take this big of a chance? What are they trying to prove and who exactly are they trying to prove it to?
Marriage can be defined as a traditional union of love between two people. I believe the need people have to blindly follow social traditions causes them to believe that marriage is the only logical path to take in life, however I have news for you boys and girls. This is 2011 and the ‘traditional' way of life is slowing becoming as extinct as the dinosaur. Speaking of which, can you define the word tradition?If you can’t I’ll help you out. A tradition is a something passed down through generations that’s maintained in the present with origins in the past. In the sense of traditional marriage, it was originally done mainly to satisfy the wishes of the parents and grandparents. People rarely had a choice in who they married, as it was only done to align families for better financial possibilities and to protect the land they owned. However if history has shown us anything it’s that tradition does not need to be followed and marriage is no exception to this.
"You have no idea what you’re talking about Andre. Getting married is all about finding and sharing mutual love with your partner.” Well I’m glad you said that, because continuing the argument of tradition and history, as stated before marriage was never really about love. Romantic love was only shared between regular couples (people not married). Even in many societies today (yes today folks), there is little to no romantic love between those who are married. It wasn’t until recent (by recent I mean maybe 200-300 years ago) that people tacked on the notion that marriages are all about love which brings me back to the fairy tale mentality most people have associated with it. I guess it’s unfortunate for me that I believe in fairy tales about as much as I believe in Santa clause and the Easter bunny… and care for them even less.
I do have to be honest about something. My pessimism consumes me when it comes to trusting other people so naturally I’m going to be a little biased against giving half of my shit to someone else, but can you really call me crazy for thinking this way? As I stated earlier part of my whole problem with marriage is the fact that there are so many people out there that treat it like a big joke. People get married to obtain citizenship or even to get better health insurance. And personally speaking now between cheaters, controlling women and potentially malicious and debt inducing divorces should it ever get to that level, I just don’t see the point to any of it. Besides there isn’t really anything for me to gain by allowing the government to oversee my relationship other than unnecessary stress. And even if my own convictions weren’t enough to question the necessity of marital tradition, every one of my friends who has ever been married rallies against it by either claiming to never get married again or by trying to convince me not to ever make the mistake of getting married (not that I need convincing). Now don’t get me wrong I love women. I love talking and hanging out with them and all that good stuff and that whole having sex with them isn’t bad either, but marriage? Thanks for the offer but I’ll gracefully decline.
Ah yes, the fairy tale. Those lovable stories we all read as children about being rescued and living life happily ever after, but here’s something else to consider about the fairy tale. The term also means far-fetched story or a story with unbelievable elements. At the end of the day it all comes down to one thing and it's social really. The "nuclear family" is nothing more than an ideal created years ago to dictate how people should live their lives. Now before I get any kind of shit for this (though
I still welcome it), I do want it to be known that I don’t entirely see it as me vs. marriage. I write this mainly as a wake-up call to those who obsess over the notion that happiness can only be obtained through married life. It isn’t at all necessary and like everything else it isn’t for everybody. Today there are over 7 million couples that co-habit in the US. And while it is true that divorce rate has been on a slow but steady decline since the 80’s, this may or may not be due to the fact that marriage rate has also been on a slow but steady decline since the 80’s, according to this years’ government census. "1020"
Ah the fairy tale. Those lovable stories we all read as children about being rescued and living life happily ever after. Fairy tales, the main source of fantasy that makes us want to find that perfect someone (more on that in another article) and live out the rest of our days in eternal bliss running
in beaches in slow motion holding each others’ hands and all that other crap. So we set out and hope to find that one person to someday call husband or wife. Now let’s ask this question, can you remember the time when marriage was about basking in the love two people shared with one another? I can’t either, because nowadays the whole institution of marriage has nothing more than a joke. Between those who treat it as such and those who have their own hidden agenda as to why they get married in the first place, the notion of having to be married to someone has become a bit foolish in my eyes. Lives have been crippled by messy divorces and victims of spousal infidelity and loveless prison-like homes have driven people to do unspeakable things. So why is there such a need for people to take this big of a chance? What are they trying to prove and who exactly are they trying to prove it to?
Marriage can be defined as a traditional union of love between two people. I believe the need people have to blindly follow social traditions causes them to believe that marriage is the only logical path to take in life, however I have news for you boys and girls. This is 2011 and the ‘traditional' way of life is slowing becoming as extinct as the dinosaur. Speaking of which, can you define the word tradition?If you can’t I’ll help you out. A tradition is a something passed down through generations that’s maintained in the present with origins in the past. In the sense of traditional marriage, it was originally done mainly to satisfy the wishes of the parents and grandparents. People rarely had a choice in who they married, as it was only done to align families for better financial possibilities and to protect the land they owned. However if history has shown us anything it’s that tradition does not need to be followed and marriage is no exception to this.
"You have no idea what you’re talking about Andre. Getting married is all about finding and sharing mutual love with your partner.” Well I’m glad you said that, because continuing the argument of tradition and history, as stated before marriage was never really about love. Romantic love was only shared between regular couples (people not married). Even in many societies today (yes today folks), there is little to no romantic love between those who are married. It wasn’t until recent (by recent I mean maybe 200-300 years ago) that people tacked on the notion that marriages are all about love which brings me back to the fairy tale mentality most people have associated with it. I guess it’s unfortunate for me that I believe in fairy tales about as much as I believe in Santa clause and the Easter bunny… and care for them even less.
I do have to be honest about something. My pessimism consumes me when it comes to trusting other people so naturally I’m going to be a little biased against giving half of my shit to someone else, but can you really call me crazy for thinking this way? As I stated earlier part of my whole problem with marriage is the fact that there are so many people out there that treat it like a big joke. People get married to obtain citizenship or even to get better health insurance. And personally speaking now between cheaters, controlling women and potentially malicious and debt inducing divorces should it ever get to that level, I just don’t see the point to any of it. Besides there isn’t really anything for me to gain by allowing the government to oversee my relationship other than unnecessary stress. And even if my own convictions weren’t enough to question the necessity of marital tradition, every one of my friends who has ever been married rallies against it by either claiming to never get married again or by trying to convince me not to ever make the mistake of getting married (not that I need convincing). Now don’t get me wrong I love women. I love talking and hanging out with them and all that good stuff and that whole having sex with them isn’t bad either, but marriage? Thanks for the offer but I’ll gracefully decline.
Ah yes, the fairy tale. Those lovable stories we all read as children about being rescued and living life happily ever after, but here’s something else to consider about the fairy tale. The term also means far-fetched story or a story with unbelievable elements. At the end of the day it all comes down to one thing and it's social really. The "nuclear family" is nothing more than an ideal created years ago to dictate how people should live their lives. Now before I get any kind of shit for this (though
I still welcome it), I do want it to be known that I don’t entirely see it as me vs. marriage. I write this mainly as a wake-up call to those who obsess over the notion that happiness can only be obtained through married life. It isn’t at all necessary and like everything else it isn’t for everybody. Today there are over 7 million couples that co-habit in the US. And while it is true that divorce rate has been on a slow but steady decline since the 80’s, this may or may not be due to the fact that marriage rate has also been on a slow but steady decline since the 80’s, according to this years’ government census. "1020"
Monday, August 15, 2011
Me vs. The Tech Nation
"The Nerds Have Won!"
As of late, one can't help but notice what has become the acceptable fad nowadays. More and more people have their nose buried in some kind of tech device. Whether it's walking down a street or on public transportation, or maybe at a bar or cafe, it's impossible not to run into someone mindlessly toying around with some sort of smartphone or blackberry or tablet device. Last year a TV personality Chris Hardwick made a comment about the new rise in techological popularity saying"the nerds have won!" As a former tech nerd I couldn't help but get a little satisfaction from that statement, but to what extent did we actually win?
As I think about how these devices have dominated our lives, I can't help but remember that 10 short years ago, showing even a remote interest in these kinds of gadgets would have been considered nerdy by most people. I mean think about how many people had internet access in their homes during that period, back in 2000, now think about how many people are on facebook today. But what really has me raising an eyebrow to all of this is that not to long ago I would have been made fun of for being into all this techy stuff, and now I'm almost made fun of for not giving a shit about it. Sometime before the birth of the smartphone back in 2005 (the first iPhone was introduced in 2007), my interest in tech slowly began to fade. It's hard to explain why it happened as there was no specific reason; maybe it was due to its rise in popularity and the fact that I hate everything thats popular, maybe it was in part due to me being frustrated I could no longer afford to upgrade every 15 minutes to some new device that was being introduced, but it sometimes still amazes me how right at the end of my interest in tech was the beginning of the social interest in tech.
Fast forward now to 2012 where close to half of the country owns a smartphone/blackberry (close to 40% if not more) and things like tablet PC’s and kindles are on a steady rise to popularity. It’s both interesting and scary to be witness to this new “technological generation" being formed now and because of my somewhat lack of interest in this new tech I’m starting to feel like an old man at 30. I was recently given an ipad and can’t understand why these things are as popular as they are. Sure they're cool devices but I still don't see these things as anything more than glorified web browsers, which becomes somewhat useless if you already have a PC. I have yet to jump on the smartphone craze but am guessing I’ll get one in the future. That’ll be the true test to see if I want in to this new tech nation.
Of course the question to ask is where did this sudden popularity come from? It's pretty obvious that a lot of it has to do with the need people have to not only want what everybody else has but have the best version of it. My cousin got an iPad when they first came out, used it maybe 4 or 5 times and never used it again after. When I asked him why he got one, his response..."I don't know, because everybody was talking about it." I guess it's unfortunate for me popularity has never been a requirement for me to show interest in something, so as it stands now it’s me vs. the tech nation, and while I’ve never had a problem with being on the outside of a socially accepted fad (I actually like it), it just boggles my mind how big of a role gadgetry has in the norm today. In only a few short years I’ve gone from being a techie nazi to watching everyone else become one. I can only wonder where we will all be 5 short years from now. "677"
As of late, one can't help but notice what has become the acceptable fad nowadays. More and more people have their nose buried in some kind of tech device. Whether it's walking down a street or on public transportation, or maybe at a bar or cafe, it's impossible not to run into someone mindlessly toying around with some sort of smartphone or blackberry or tablet device. Last year a TV personality Chris Hardwick made a comment about the new rise in techological popularity saying"the nerds have won!" As a former tech nerd I couldn't help but get a little satisfaction from that statement, but to what extent did we actually win?
As I think about how these devices have dominated our lives, I can't help but remember that 10 short years ago, showing even a remote interest in these kinds of gadgets would have been considered nerdy by most people. I mean think about how many people had internet access in their homes during that period, back in 2000, now think about how many people are on facebook today. But what really has me raising an eyebrow to all of this is that not to long ago I would have been made fun of for being into all this techy stuff, and now I'm almost made fun of for not giving a shit about it. Sometime before the birth of the smartphone back in 2005 (the first iPhone was introduced in 2007), my interest in tech slowly began to fade. It's hard to explain why it happened as there was no specific reason; maybe it was due to its rise in popularity and the fact that I hate everything thats popular, maybe it was in part due to me being frustrated I could no longer afford to upgrade every 15 minutes to some new device that was being introduced, but it sometimes still amazes me how right at the end of my interest in tech was the beginning of the social interest in tech.
Fast forward now to 2012 where close to half of the country owns a smartphone/blackberry (close to 40% if not more) and things like tablet PC’s and kindles are on a steady rise to popularity. It’s both interesting and scary to be witness to this new “technological generation" being formed now and because of my somewhat lack of interest in this new tech I’m starting to feel like an old man at 30. I was recently given an ipad and can’t understand why these things are as popular as they are. Sure they're cool devices but I still don't see these things as anything more than glorified web browsers, which becomes somewhat useless if you already have a PC. I have yet to jump on the smartphone craze but am guessing I’ll get one in the future. That’ll be the true test to see if I want in to this new tech nation.
Of course the question to ask is where did this sudden popularity come from? It's pretty obvious that a lot of it has to do with the need people have to not only want what everybody else has but have the best version of it. My cousin got an iPad when they first came out, used it maybe 4 or 5 times and never used it again after. When I asked him why he got one, his response..."I don't know, because everybody was talking about it." I guess it's unfortunate for me popularity has never been a requirement for me to show interest in something, so as it stands now it’s me vs. the tech nation, and while I’ve never had a problem with being on the outside of a socially accepted fad (I actually like it), it just boggles my mind how big of a role gadgetry has in the norm today. In only a few short years I’ve gone from being a techie nazi to watching everyone else become one. I can only wonder where we will all be 5 short years from now. "677"
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